Our roots

Neste is a young company with a long history and six decades of oil expertise behind it. Today’s Neste has succeeded in skillfully combining solid industry experience with modern business and environmental values.

Neste was founded 9th January 1948 to secure Finland’s oil supply. The question of building an oil refinery in Finland had first emerged around the mid-1940s, and the new refinery was commissioned in July 1957. In 1962 its capacity was increased from 800,000 t/a to 2.5 million t/a. The extended refinery soon proved unable to meet the growing demand for petroleum products in Finland, however, and it was decided to build a second one. This was commissioned at Porvoo in 1965.

In the years that followed, Neste’s refining capacity, particularly at Porvoo, steadily grew, as did the range of the company’s business interests. Natural gas, exploration and production, and chemicals joined its core refining and shipping activities. Neste Oil also established itself as a retail service station brand.

Neste became a listed company on the Helsinki Stock Exchange in 1995, and in 1997 the Council of State decided to merge the company with Imatran Voima to form Fortum Corporation, which was listed in December 1998. The merged oil and electricity company continued until 2005, when the oil business was spun off as a separate company and Neste Oil took its place on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

Today’s Neste builds sustainable solutions for the needs of transport, businesses and consumers. Our global range of products and services allows customers to reduce their carbon footprint by combining high-quality and low-emission renewable products and oil products to tailor-made service solutions. We are the world's largest producer of renewable diesel refined from waste and residues, and we are also bringing renewable solutions to the aviation and plastics industries. We want to be a reliable partner whose expertise, research and sustainable practices are appreciated worldwide. Cleaner traffic, energy and life are moved forward by 5,000 professionals. In 2016, Neste's net sales stood at EUR 11.7 billion, and we were on the Global 100 list of the most sustainable companies in the world. Neste shares are listed on NASDAQ Helsinki.

1940s

Neste purchased its first tanker from Norway and began to import oil.

Eino Erho was appointed as CEO.

Neste Oy was established in 1948 to secure Finland's supply of oil.

1950s

First crude oil load arrived at the Naantali refinery in 1957.

Neste's first refinery was launched in Naantali in 1957.

Uolevi Raade was appointed as CEO in 1955.

1960s

The company expanded into the petrochemical industry.

A research laboratory was set up in Naantali and later transferred to Porvoo.

Neste's Porvoo refinery was launched in 1965 and expanded a few times.

Neste, Kesko, OTK and SOK established the liquid gas distribution company Tehokaasu in 1963.

Neste decided to double the capacity of the Naantali refinery. The expansion was completed in 1962.

1970s

Uolevi Raade retired in 1979.

New head office was built in Keilaniemi, Espoo.

Neste became the largest shipping company in Finland after acquiring 250,000-ton supertankers Jurmo, Jaarli, and Jatuli.

Imports of natural gas to Finland began.

Neste became the largest company in Finland and had an important role in balancing the Russian trade.

Fortum divested its bitumen business, oil exploration and production operations in Norway and oil field shares in Oman.

2011

The company's fourth production plant for renewable diesel was launched in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in September 2011.

We launched a new production plant for high-quality base oils with Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) and nogaholding in Bahrain.

Neste Oil sold its Estonian gas business to Alexela, the Beringen polyalphaolefin (PAO) production plant in Belgium to Chevron Phillips Chemical, and its 50% share of the iso-octane plant in Edmonton to the Canadian company Keyera Corporation.

The feedstock base for renewable fuels expanded from five to eight feedstocks

Thanks to its R&D expertise, Neste Oil succeeded in producing the first batch of renewable NExBTL aviation fuel in summer 2011

In 2011, Neste Oil completed the ISCC (The International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) certifications of all its renewable diesel production plants

2012

Neste Oil delivered the first batches of NEXBTL renewable diesel to the US market.

The company launched the Truck+ refueling service for its heavy traffic customers, allowing refueling without a card

Neste Oil expanded its product offering for B-to-B customers with NEXBTL renewable naphtha, which can be used as a feedstock for producing bioplastics.

Neste Oil signed an agreement with Shell on selling its station network in Poland.

2013

Neste Oil invested approximately EUR 42 million in improving the energy efficiency and operational reliability of the Porvoo refinery. We also decided to invest EUR 65 million in building an isomerization unit at the Porvoo refinery.

Neste Oil reached its target of using only certified crude palm oil in the production of NEXBTL renewable diesel two years early.

We expanded the feedstock base of NEXBTL renewable diesel with technical corn oil, which is unfit for human consumption.

We were the first company in the world to begin using tall oil pitch as a feedstock for refining into traffic fuel.

Neste Oil was the first company in the world to receive a RSPO-RED Supply Chain certificate, a new certification system under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

Neste Pro Diesel, a diesel fuel developed and produced by the company was the first anywhere to comply with the WWFC 5 specification drawn up as part of the Worldwide Fuel Charter (WWFC).

We began collaboration with The Forest Trust (TFT), an organization focusing on the prevention of deforestation, to protect rainforests

Neste Oil signed a contingent commercial off-take agreement on purchasing algae oil with the US-based company Cellana.

2014

The NEXBTL product range was expanded with isoalkane, which can be used as a feedstock in the chemical industry instead of thin mineral oil.

The European Commission approved Neste Oil's proprietary sustainability verification system and confirmed that it complies with the standards set for reliability, transparency, and independent third-party auditing.

Neste Oil's sustainability system for renewable fuels was approved by the Finnish Energy Authority.

The company's key vessels were sold to companies owned by the Finnish National Emergency Supply Agency and Ilmarinen, and the ship management functions were outsourced to OSM Ship Management Finland Oy.

Neste Oil's organization was restructured. The Production and Logistics function was merged into the Oil Products and Renewable Products business areas. Oil Retail is the company's third business area. The aim of the restructuring was to clarify and streamline the management of businesses and improve the customer focus and ability to react to changes in the markets.

Construction of a biopropane unit began at Neste Oil's Rotterdam refinery. A biopropane sales agreement was signed with SHV Energy.

The operations of the Porvoo and Naantali refineries will be merged to achieve more efficient control and increased operational cost-efficiency.

We launched a low-sulfur bunker fuel meeting the EU's Sulfur Directive, which came into force in 2015.

Neste Futura fuels were launched in the Baltic and Russian markets. Neste Pro Diesel fuel was launched in Lithuania.

New Miljöklass 1 diesel fuel with high NEXBTL content was developed for the Swedish market.

2015

On 1 April the Annual General Meeting decided the company name to be Neste Corporation from the beginning of June.

The largest maintenance turnaround in history successfully executed at Neste's Porvoo refinery.

New customer openings for NEXBTL renewable diesel in new customer segments such as fleet use (e.g. Google and UPS) and municipalities (e.g. City of Oakland and San Francisco).

100% NEXBTL renewable diesel became available for consumers under customers’ own brands in e.g. Sweden, Austria, and California.

Neste became the world's largest producer of renewable fuels from waste and residues.

New partnerships with Total Fluides and HSC Group in renewable solvents.

Neste was selected for the ninth time for inclusion in The Global 100 list of the world's most sustainable companies.

2016

Neste acquired pre-treatment and storage capacity for renewable raw materials in Sluiskil in the Netherlands as part of the company's growth program. The agreement was signed with Electrawinds ReFuel B.V.

Neste announced to start selling diesel produced entirely from renewable raw materials around the turn of the year.

Neste and IKEA of Sweden announced partnership to deliver renewable, bio-based plastics.

Neste Renewable Diesel was taken into use in the City fleets of Carlsbad and San Diego, and the County of Sacramento in California.

Oslo Airport Gardermoen was the world's first airport to offer renewable aviation fuel refined by Neste for refueling airplanes.

A carbon dioxide recovery and liquefaction plant built at Neste's renewable products refinery in Singapore started commercial operation.

A joint project between Neste, Veolia and Borealis to arrange power plant operations and build a new power plant in Kilpilahti, Porvoo, Finland was confirmed.

For the tenth time, Neste was chosen as one of the world's top 100 most sustainable corporations and included in the Global 100 list.